Full Moon Rituals
by KenziBoo69
Summary: As royal werewolves from rival clans in a century old feud their parents give them no choice in the matter and set them into an arranged marriage as children. They don't have to like it or even each other, but lets see what happens when they're left alone for a month without supervision to bond. Rated M for future chapters!


Killian woke to the sound of his bedroom door banging against the navy blue colored wall of his room followed by the sound of excited footsteps rushing toward where he lay in his bed, it could only be one person. Ruby, his childish brunette cousin, hopping onto his bed where she proceeded to start bouncing up and down energetically, a huge grin spreading across her face when she heard a mildly irritated groan; his eyes remained closed as a slight smirk began to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Is there something I can help you with Ruby?" he spoke softly with a hint of amusement, his voice was still thick with sleep. "Your mother sent me to wake you, you know what tomorrow is don't you?" She asked him in her usual chipper tone, her milk chocolate eyes glittering with excitement as she paused her bouncing.

He sighed and rolled over, pulling his blankets with him which caused Ruby to fall to her backside on his mattress. He knew full well what tomorrow was and didn't need a reminder of what was to happen. Tomorrow, he, his royal parents and their clan would meet his future wife and mate. The princess of the southern wolf pack was to be his bride. Today though they would pack up things to make camp near a predetermined location that would allow both northern and southern clan alphas to meet and present their royal children to one another. The marriage had been arranged by both her parents and his, the alphas of the northern pack, before his fifth birthday and just after her third, the union was meant to end the blood feud between the southern and northern packs of the Enchanted Forest. What he knew of the arrangement was the two would meet the week before the full moon, one month before her twenty-first birthday so they could get acquainted.

Ruby huffed at his back as she rubbed her ass. "Killian, you have to get up before your mother comes up here and skins us both! She's already upset that you are still asleep considering it's past noon and your lazy ass is supposed to be packing for the rendezvous point already." She growled playfully when he refused to respond, her molten chocolate eyes flashing a brilliant gold for a few brief moments. At the sound of her growl Killian grumbled something she didn't understand and covered his head with his blankets. "Tell my mother I'll be down in an hour, I have to bathe and dress." He heard his cousin move from the place she had fallen to the edge of his bed before getting to her feet and walking to the door only stopping to turn toward him again, a smirk he couldn't see but could hear in her voice as she spoke making him smirk again as well. "If you aren't in the kitchen in an hour and your mother skins me alive for lying, I'm going to haunt you cousin."

He chuckled quietly as she closed his door, leaving him to get up and start preparing himself for the upcoming events for the day. His mood was still to be determined as he was quite apprehensive about the whole situation. To his knowledge arranged marriages never went well and both parties were equally miserable, his parents were no exception to this rule though they played the part of the happy couple quite well while at pack gatherings during the week long moon gazing period before the full moon every month. As he moved over to his standing wardrobe to find what he wanted to wear for the day while his thoughts drifted to the young woman he was to meet for the very first time. He knew nothing of her with the exception of her name, Emma, Emma Swan. He had asked about her to many members of his quite large pack and no matter who he asked, no one could give him an answer, no one knew what she looked like and with that in mind he could only assume the worst.

Many of the higher ranking pack members had said that her parents kept her hidden, simply wishing to keep her from the dangers of the ongoing feud between the rival packs. The night she was returned she had nearly been attacked by someone from their side of the forest after she had run from her parents castle; they said she had been overwhelmed by her pack, as well as the revelation of her status as the newly returned princess. The packs had become more civil over the years but being the bloodthirsty creatures they were by nature it sometimes happened that one or the others pack would wander into the opposing sides territory while the moon was at its apex and slaughter would ensue. Simple but disastrous things of that nature happened while hunting, bloodlust was at its peak which was a simple explanation for the scarce sightings of the little princess but his mind still said it was probably due to something being wrong with her, he would hate to be saddled with an ugly mate for the rest of his time on earth.

He sighed and pushed the thoughts and feeling of deep rooted dread away as he chose a pair of dark blue jeans and a white v neck tee shirt before heading to the bathroom that was adjoined to his room, getting the shower to his desired temperature before shedding his baggy gray sweatpants though he left his necklace on, getting in and standing under the downpour of hot water with his hands braced against the faux stone wall, allowing the water to somewhat soothe his nerves and the steam to fill the bathroom before he started to clean himself. His thoughts drifting back to his mysterious bride to be. He had come into brief contact with her father, David, or "Prince Charming" as the southern pack referred to him as while they had been in their wolf forms, he had been a teenager at the time and had damn near been killed by the man that was to be his father in law and if he was to be honest with himself he had been terrified after that fateful meeting. Killian grimaced at the memory.

 _Nineteen year old Killian had heard the news, his prearranged marriage was back on! The southern clan had found their lost princess… His mind had been reeling with thoughts and emotions, the news came to him at his worst moment and most private loss in his life. With the absence of a princess to marry he had taken an interest in a pretty little brunette with piercing gray eyes. He had loved her, possibly even been in love with her but during their shared hunt two nights before the moon reached it's fullest point she had been murdered by a huntsman. Tonight was the full moon and not very surprisingly he was drunk. It had been terrible timing but a messenger under a proverbial white flag of peace from the south had come to speak to his parents in their tent, being as he was already grieving but was an all-around nosy teen he had gone to eavesdrop on the conversation being held behind the grand white canvas walls of the tent._

 _He'd heard brief hushed voices from the three adults concealed behind the thick canvas but even in his alcohol clouded brain his ears heard words that sent him into a blind rage. The love of his life was gone and two days later cruel fate had brought this to him, a forced marriage to a princess he didn't know and would never love. The news had made him want to run and so he had, the ache in his heart and mind had been too much for someone his age to handle. He felt as though he was being torn apart from the inside both literally and figuratively, he collapsed to the ground about a mile away from his clans camp letting out stream of pained roars before he stripped out of his shirt. His muscles rippled under his tanned flesh while the bones below cracked and reformed themselves, as his body broke and changed black fur sprouted over his wolf form. He listened as the human roars turned into the growls of a bloodthirsty wolf bent on revenge until he dully remembered his pants were still on him._

 _When he had finally managed to shuck himself of his jeans he shook his fur out then a thought struck him. He wanted to see this princess for himself, surely she would be running with her pack after having been away from them for so long. That was it; he had decided to do this, he was going to see this long lost princess for himself. With that thought he took off toward the border between territories, thinking with a huff that maybe he would find the huntsman in his journey. The moon was at its highest point when he finally reach the borderland also know by both clans as the neutral meeting ground only the alphas from either side used whilst making deals, including the one he had been suddenly dragged back into. In his hazy mind he reasoned that it was fine for him as well seeing as he was next to become alpha, but before crossing the line his piercing azure eyes scanning the clear area around him._

 _He slowly edged to the other side of the clearing while still scanning his surroundings slowly, he hadn't realized he had crossed one too many boundaries. He was walking in southern territory something that was forbidden for a northerner, prince or not. The sound of a single set of running paws drew his attention to his right but all he saw was a pile of dry brush, but he heard another wolf coming and they were moving fast. Instead of booking it back to where he knew it was safe he moved deeper, hiding behind a large tree just in time to see a pale wolf gracefully leap over the brush before landing lightly on it's paws then turning to silently admire the jump it had made. His breath caught in his chest as he moved a bit from behind the tree to get a better look at the other wolf, the creature standing before him could only be described as breathtaking._

 _Fur the color of pure white moonlight, glowing almost silver as the moon itself shone down on it. Lithe body, smaller in stature than his own, still quite young from the wonderment on its features while it continued to scan the brush before it. The wolf before him was undoubtedly a female and she was indescribably beautiful, even more so than Milah had ever thought of being. Without thinking he took a step toward her, seeing her tense when he stepped on a twig and internally cursing as his weight broke it, her attention and head suddenly snapping to where he was hiding in the shadows. Their eyes locked instantly, rich jade meeting brilliant azure. Everything about her him called to him, beckoning him closer to her, she was still standing tense before him either refusing to move or unable to do so._

 _Neither mattered to him but he didn't want to scare her, and when she took a step back and a whimper of fear came from her when he got within a few feet of her he quickly stopped. Before he got a chance to do anything else he was taken down by a snarling sandy blond wolf that was easily two or three hands taller than him, and whom he had not once heard approaching. This must be David, southern alpha… well shit… Killian took a brief moment to catch his breath before he felt the alpha hovering over him bite into the juncture of his neck and shoulder causing him to let out a snarl of pain before kicking him away with some effort. The pain in his shoulder was intense but not enough so to keep him from scanning for the silvery female but to no avail, she was gone and he had a sinking feeling that was the last he would see of her._

 _Killian heard the alpha behind him getting up and charging at him again, barely dodging the blow he took off as fast as he could with his wounded shoulder, barely making it back across his packs territory line, David snapping increasingly close at his heels the whole way._

Opening his eyes he leaned heavier against the wall of his shower after having rinsed himself off. Milah, gods knew he missed her but the silver wolf he had only seen once was the one who haunted him in his sleep. She called to the wolf that hid beneath his skin, but as much as she had called and as much as he had watched the forest from his side of the borderland he had never seen her again. With that sad memory in mind he exited the shower, dried himself and dressed slowly, the moon wolf as he aptly called her lingering heavily in the forefront of his mind as she often did around this time of the month.

Emma)

Emma looked at herself in mirror of her vanity, she had been up since the early hours of the morning. Her face was a neutral mask, one she had been practicing for a few weeks now, ever since she'd been reminded that she was to meet her future husband and mate. She turned from her reflection when she heard a soft knock at her door, calling for whoever was on the other side of the door to come in. Mary Margaret, her mother, or "Snow" as her father and her parents close friends and pack members called her came through the door carrying a white garment bag and a shoe box beneath containing the dress and probably high heels she was to wear for tomorrow evenings festivities, the dress she had not been privy to seeing beforehand. With a brief smile to her mother she rose from her chair to join the older woman near her canopy bed, her eyes resting on the white bag, a feeling of dread coming to rest like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach at the thought of her mother having picked a dress she wouldn't want to wear considering she hated dresses altogether.

She had always been a rather rebellious girl, preferring jeans, tank tops and hoodies over the frilly girly things her mother constantly tried to dress her in as a child. One specific indecent coming to mind as her mother began to unzip the bag she'd laid on her bed.

 _Three year old Emma looked up from the mud puddle she and her friend Belle had been splashing about in when she heard the shrill sound of her mother yelling as she stood in the doorway that overlooked the courtyard of modernized castle they lived in._ _"Young lady, get out of that mud puddle, you're ruining your new dress!" Her friend had sniggered as she simply grimaced and ran toward her mother. She had promptly been taken to her room and bathed, all the while her mother had been scolding her, the one thing she remembered most from the scolding had been her mother saying, "Princesses are not supposed to play in mud like unruly little boys. They are supposed to stay away from such messy things." Her father, David, had completely disagreed telling her mother later that evening over dinner in his usual soft spoken manner when trying to reason with his wife. "My love, we're wolves, princess or no she is going to be drawn to playing in dirt. And I know you hated when your people would yell at you for doing the same thing our daughter is doing now. Just let her be."_

"Emma? Emma..!" She was drawn from her musings when her mother had waved a hand in front of her face to gain her attention. "What do you think? Do you like it?" Mary Margaret asked in a soft voice, holding up the dress she'd picked out for her beautiful golden haired daughter. Emma looked at the dress with an impressed expression on her face, the dress her mother had chosen was something she would have chosen for herself and it was perfect for mid September weather. "It's gorgeous mom, I love it." She said with a smile as she gently took the dress and walked to the full length mirror that hung from her bathroom door. The dress was simple but elegant, it was a flowy bottomed black and red floor length dress with a mostly open back and a hood.

She held it against herself to admired it, her mother moving around behind her unboxing her shoes; a pair of black flats were produced from the box instead of the heels Emma had been certain her mother would've picked to make her more "princess-like". But she definitely preferred this to the image she had in her head of an obnoxious pink big bowed ball gown and tall pink stiletto heels. She turned and walked back to her mother, laying her dress across her bed before hugging her mother tightly. "Thank you so much mom, I love it all."

"You're quite welcome Emma." Mary Margaret said with an almost sad smile as she hugged her daughter back even tighter, stroking her hand over Emma's silky blonde curls while trying to hold back her tears. Emma didn't know that after tomorrow she wouldn't be coming home. Part of the agreement between the packs was after the initial introduction between the prince and princess, the princess would return to the northern packs castle to allow the new couple to establish a bond before the wedding would take place a month after on the next full moon to unite the packs and end the fighting. While the two would be at the castle the prince's parents would be off on a trip for the entire month, that fact worried her the most. Emma's reaction to being left by she and David for the second time in her life.

Mary Margaret took a slow breath to calm her nerves before pulling back from her daughter's tight embrace, stroking blonde bangs away from Emma's bright milky jade colored eyes to look into them. "Emma, there's something you need to know about this meeting… Something you must know before leaving with your father and I tonight." As those dreaded words left her mouth she felt Emma withdraw from her completely and she bit her lower lip. Emma had smelled the tears her mother seemed to be fighting back before and had felt some confusion when she had started to pull away. Emma searched her mother's hazel eyes for a few moments before realization hit her square in the chest; the only reason her mother, the strong willed wolfess before her who had missed her childhood years from the age of four to her teenage years of seventeen would be acting so oddly was because…

"You're giving me to the northern pack after the introduction tomorrow night.. You're leaving me again, aren't you?" Emma's eyes glossed over and tears welled in her eyes as she spoke, her voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and anger. Mary Margaret shook her head gently and reached for Emma simply to have her move further away and cross her arms over her chest as if trying to protect herself from the truth. "Emma, please… it's only until the full moon before your birthday next month. You and-" Emma cut her off midsentence by raising her hand a bit while shaking her head, she had blinked away the tears that threatened to escape her eyes and she put on the mask she had thought she'd need strictly for her husband to be. "It's fine mother… it was bound to happen at some point. Now if you'll excuse me; I have to get ready, I'll be down in an hour and we can get this over with." Her tone was clipped but Mary Margaret understood and she nodded before leaving her daughter to prepare herself, she knew Emma felt betrayed and probably brokenhearted but it was for the best.

Once the door had closed and her heightened sense of hearing told her that Mary Margaret was well enough out of earshot she sank to the floor by her bed and started to cry, her parents were throwing her away again. After several minutes she was able to reign in her sobs to stand and gather the jeans and long sleeved shirt she was planning to wear for the journey to the edge of the borderland where her pack had already set up camp before going to her bathroom and cleaning her face of the tear streaks that adorned her cheeks then she applied her usual makeup, light colored eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner. After she'd finished her makeup she changed from her silk nightgown into her matching black lace undergarments that were already in the bathroom before pulling on her jeans and shirt, the sleeves of her shirt covering her hands just the way she liked them.

All she could think while she moved from her bathroom back to her bedroom to replace the dress into its covering and the flats to their box was how betrayed she felt and how much her and the wolf beneath her skin wanted to run, run as far and as fast as she could… just for one night… her last night of freedom and with that in mind she picked up the last of the things she planned to take with her and a long lingering look through her room from the doorway she turned and left, descending the stairs from her tower bedroom she went to meet her parents outside at the car that awaited to take them to the rendezvous point where the rest of their pack and her future husband waited.


End file.
